Nigeria: Group Asks Appeal Court to Review Judgement Sacking Senate Minority Whip

7 November 2023

The court sacked the minority whip from the Senate and declared the PDP candidate as the winner of the Abia central district election in February.

The Coalition for Social Justice and Good Governance (CSJGG) has called on the president of the Appeal Court to set up a panel to review the judgement that sacked Darlington Nwokocha, the senate minority whip.

Convener of the coalition, Ciroma Ahmed, made the call in a statement on Monday.

A three-member panel of the court presided over by Biobele Georgewill on Saturday sacked Mr Nwokocha, a member of the Labour Party (LP) from representing Abia Central on the ground that he was not qualified to contest the senatorial election.

The appeal court declared Augustine Akobundu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the 25 February election in the senatorial district.

The court, therefore, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a certificate of return to Mr Akobundu.

But, Mr Ciroma insisted that the judgement was a miscarriage of justice.

He urged the president of the appeal court to urgently set up a special panel to review the circumstances surrounding the judgement.

"First, the appeal panel members on this case were changed and reconstituted three consecutive times before Justice Georgewill from Rivers was posted to head the panel.

"In the light of the above, the coalition demands as follows; that the President, Court of Appeal should immediately constitute a judicial review panel to examine the circumstances of the conflicting judgements," he said.

Mr Ciroma also called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, to address the allegations against judges.

"We call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria to immediately convene an NJC meeting to address the numerous allegations against judicial officials.

"This is to restore the public confidence especially the people of Abia in the judiciary as the last hope of the people.," he said.

The coalition demanded that the details of the judgement be made public, saying that they would embark on massive protests to call out the justice if their demands were not met.

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